Gentry was a second baseman at Camelback High School in Phoenix, Arizona, and only began pitching while at Phoenix Junior College. He was drafted by the Houston Astros in the eleventh round of the inaugural major league draft in 1965, and was a first round pick of the Baltimore Orioles in the January Secondary Draft in 1966, but signed with neither team, choosing instead to remain in college. In 1966, he led the Bears to a national junior college championship. Shortly afterwards, he was drafted by the San Francisco Giants, but again chose not to sign.\n', '

After two years at Phoenix College, Gentry transferred to Arizona State University. He went 17-1 with a college record 229 strikeouts. In the 1967 NCAA University Division Baseball Tournament, Gentry tossed a fourteen inning gem against Stanford University to help his team catch the College World Series title. He was named the pitcher of the All-Tournament Team. Shortly afterwards, he was drafted by the New York Mets in the 1967 Major League Baseball draft. This time, he was ready to sign.\n', '

Gentry spend just two seasons in the Mets\' farm system when he caught the eye of Mets manager Gil Hodges in Spring training 1969, and earned a spot on the opening day roster behind Tom Seaver & Jerry Koosman in the starting rotation. He came within an out of a complete game in his major league debut, defeating the Montreal Expos in front of 8,608 at Shea Stadium.\n', '

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